Would you like to win some Free wool of your choice, 2 premium felting needles, and some cute “Hello kitty” noses with washers? ($20 value for all) These felting needles are my favorite by far! They are very comfy with the soft rubber tip so they don’t dig into your fingers! The #38 star is medium with extra barbs on it for fast detailing! The #40 is for fine fiber like merino and it leaves smaller holes in the surface. You’ll love them as I do!

The “Hello Kitty” noses are 6 different sizes!

All you have to do is tell me the best tip that has really helped in your needle felting adventure! Leave the tip in a comment with a wool choice (see link below).

Winner gets all!!

*I will be adding more varieties of wool to choose from. Anyone interested in core wool? I also have that available in all dog colors! My core wool is NOT trash wool! It can be used to make any short haired dog as the only wool.

I love the Chestnut colored baby alpaca wool! I have only done a few small needle-felting projects so I don’t feel qualified to give advice! I guess if I could advise myself, I’d say, “Don’t worry so much about making your project look exactly like the picture/book/tutorial you’re following! No one will know what it’s supposed to look like!” I’ve visited your blog a few times and am truly in awe!

Hi Dee,
Thank you for your comment!
I have a beginners needle felted sheep kit that lots of people have learned how to needle felt with. They tell me that it is very easy. You will learn how to make a poseable sculpture. If you scroll down there are some examples of sheep made by people who have never needle felted before. More details here.http://www.gfelted.etsy.com
see needle felted kit

The natural alpaca samples are gorgeous! I love the white and the grey one! And your felted animals are simply incredible.
My tip is: don’t be afraid to experiment. I like to make free-form needle felting appliques on my knits – especially bags and hats. I usually just wing it or take a picture for inspiration, but it tends to turn out the way it wants to, which is great and fun :)

Lovely giveaway!
I am new to needle felting, but I LOVE it!
My tip is to choose the right fiber.
Merino is soft and silky, and while it can be a bit tricky, will product a lovely finished piece.
Corridale is heftier and may felt up more quickly, but the longer fibers can leave a fuzzy halo around the finished piece.

My favorite tip is that you can strand wool yarn to make small bits of roving–I got some variegated yarn in primary colors so I just rip off what I need when all that’s required is a tiny amount. I think I like the gourmet fiber mix best.

I love the Gourmet Mix and have favorited your etsy shop for future reference. I have two daughters that I showed needle felting to just after I learned and they’ve taken to it like a duck to water. My tips would be: 1) don’t be afraid to try anything. 2) Use a pointy knitting needle instead of your finger to hold what you are needling. 3) Break a 3d object down into a set of smaller shapes to make it easier to make.

I have visited your blog before to show my daughters some of the amazing creatures you make. I love your work.

Hi Gerry, I am new to this form of crafting, my interest started because I have Dairy goats and make goat soap milk. I have a Alpaca whom I have been shearing regularly for the past 5ish years, collecting his wool and thinking I must do something with that. My alpaca is a guardian for the goats. I saw some felted soap and the lightbulb went on. I have been doing some research and guess my TIP is there are no hard and fast rules, there are many ways to create, there is lots of excellent tutorials whether you go to needle felting, wet felting, felting to other materials, sweater/jumper felting and then embelishing or creating or a mixture of all styles. Use a tutorial as a base and have fun there are no mistakes just querky arty pieces. This is the craft of the future.

I would like to try the Natural White/Cream Core Wool. I think I would like to try my hand at dyeing some of this as I like to make felted landscapes on purses, etd. I have only been dong this for a little whle but I have found that when I want to needlefelt a stem for some flowers, say on a stuffed bunny’s bellly, it is ok to use bits of wool crewel yarns and they will lie right where I want them to. It is easy too! Thanks for the opportunity to win this prize and try my hand at some dimensional work.

I love the tip about looking for wool at the thrift shop – I often look for odd skeins there. I also look for old wool sweaters to felt in my washer, then cut up for different projects. I also take wool from knitting projects and pull/tease the strands apart to use as accents to my felting.

I have only done a few little birds in needlefelting and after seeing the dogs here, feel my birds may look a bit unfinished but… So I have no tip other than try needlefelting! I cannot believe how much fun it watching little creatures come to life in your own hands!
I will come back to learn more!

Hi Carol,
Welcome to needle felting! Give it a try! You will love it! You can create priceless little gems with a very small investment! It is tricky in the beginning, but it gets easier! Everything that I make seems like a miracle. It is so heart warming to see an adorable little pup that you created out of a pile of fluff! I want to keep them all!!LOL!
~Gerry

If you have been felting for a length of time after each other, your fingers can cramp up. I found some wooden handles, with bad needles but those I threw out. Now which needle is in which handle. Simply use a color code on the handle. Keep a spare without color code for those needles that a rarely used. These handles make it possible to needle felt for hours on.
Your alpaca is magnificent.
Bye,
Hilde

I couldn’t find the original ones anymore but found some simular ones on next linkhttp://dewitteengel.nl/en-133
I will try to find which firm made mine. But if you have a handy friend, normally it shouldn’t be too difficult to make.

Hilde

By: Hild on January 14, 2011 at 4:31 pm

They seem kind of pricey. Are they worth it??
~Gerry

By: gourmetfelted on January 14, 2011 at 5:47 pm

I found the original one, but that is €5.80 for one, so I guess €2.2 for 2 handles is rather cheap, especially if compared to the holder mentioned on page 131, that is €5.95 a piece.

By: Hild on January 14, 2011 at 8:39 pm

Hi Hilde,
That is a much better price! The one that I saw was $13.50 for ONE!! Are they worth it? What are the advantages of using it?
~Gerry

By: gourmetfelted on January 15, 2011 at 4:29 pm

Hi Gerry,

If I work for a longer time in a row, let’s say about half an hour, my fingers tend to cramp up and start to hurt so I need to stop felting, with these handles your fingers are bend like you were writing and it is alot more relaxed for them without the cramp and the hurt, with them I can continue much longer and if you need to finish a piece in time it does matter.
Hilde

By: Hilde on January 16, 2011 at 4:04 pm

Sounds great Hilde! Thanks! I’ll have to try that sometime. The handles that I have are all multi needles!
That does make sense that you could felt longer in that position! Thanks for the tip!
Happy Felting!
~Gerry

By: gourmetfelted on January 20, 2011 at 3:00 am

My tip is to stop being afraid to try this. Just jump in with both feet and start creating. I am a newbie at this but thats what I did. So I am just starting out and trying the waters here. Love to win, my choice of wool would be NEEDLE FELTING Natural CORE wool. Ricki

Hi Ricki,
Welcome to needle felting! It is a lovely craft/art form to be involved in. Using a coarse core wool with a great needle makes felting a breeze! Fine wool like merino is great for the top coat, but since it is so fine, it takes much longer to felt. Unfortunately, most felting kits use merino, thus making it harder for people just learning. I’m not sure why they do that?
~Gerry

I have several tips….Make sure and use good needles….don’t be afraid to try mixing in other fibers along with roving to give different texture…the results are often outstanding!
The alpaca would be my choice..I got to try needling some once during a class, and loved it!

I am still fairly new to the realm of felting, but the best thing I have learned so far is to use rubber thimbles on your fingertips. It helps protect them from accidentally donating blood samples. When you get the right size, they don’t add any awkwardness to your handing of your project, though you may find you might need to remove them for felting very tiny objects (items the size of a pencil eraser) from time to time.

Hi Patricia,
Welcome to my blog! Thank you for your tip! That is so true about the OUCH factor. I have made very few sculptures that didn’t have a t least one good poke! It does get more seldom the more you felt! Good news for newbies!
~Gerry

I’d like to win some core wool…I’ve never tried it. I have been having problems felting down #2 alpaca ( a friend gave me a huge garbage bag full!) and someone on the felting forum suggested a core first! I want to try that!
My newest foam for felting is a dark gray packing foam… weird stuff.. it came as packing for a computer. It’s very “non-compressible”, does not get areas where the foam is disintegrating from too much needle felting. It’s light weight, can be cut with a serrated knife and I really really like it! And it was FREE !

Hi Bettina,
Welcome to my blog! I use the same thing for felting foam! Love that recycling! I wold never use alpaca for felting the body of a sculpture. I only use it as the topcoat. It makes lovely fluffy fur!
Happy felting!
~Gerry

I’ve been a fiber crafter for years but have never tried needle felting. after seeing your wonderful work my tip to myself is —let’s try it! I’d like the natural alpaca. thanks for the giveaway chance.

Hi there
Felting is awsome – it is a freedom – because what you create is totally unique – even if you are attempting to recreate.
Love it and your blog Any would be loved :)
My tip is to enjoy the process – create with a rythm – music might help and it is yours.
Cheers
Catie

My tip….just get started! I joined a mega American Girl Storybook Swap. I chose the book Heidi. Now, of course, Heidi had to have a goat. I started looking for stuffed goat in the right size/price range. No luck. Then I came across felting. I bought a goat kit and made a pretty nice goat. I contacted the kit designer and place a bulk order. Sixteen goats later I’m hooked! The possibilities are endless for my dolls and beyond. I would love to win this kit. I think my dolls need a few pets. Again, my tip….just do it, you’ll love it!

I would love the sampler packet. I gave my daughter some wool roving for Christmas two years ago and we had great fun making snowman ornaments for her tree. My tip would be do not be afraid to mix colors to get just the effect you want.

I’ve recently won a needle felting kit and have been having lots of fun trying my hand at the craft. I don’t have any good tips at the moment, but the only one I could come up with is to use reference pictures or sketch out a picture on a sculpture you are working on.

I’m no pro at needlefelting, but I’ve learned to not worry too much about whether or not the finished product looks like the one in the book/tutorial! The things we make are special because they are one of a kind. So don’t be afraid to spice things up!

I like the natural core wool. I do wet felting and needle felting. My tip would be, and of course, depends on what you’re making, to feel what you are making. If it’s an animal, see him/her in your mind..the smell, the feel and the form. Also, know when to leave well enough alone. I remember making a tiny bear and the more I worked on it’s face, the worse it got – can turn into an animal of a different sort very quickly!

I love the gourmet mix of wool. I haven’t done any needle felting yet, but i do have all the equipment, guess i’m afraid to get started. I have been buying wool sweaters and felting them, i have made some things with those. I really like it. guess i need to just jab right in.

Hi Jagels,
Be very careful when you first start. Needle felting in the beginning will feel like writing with wrong hand. BEWARY of the point of the needle. When you first start, you are paying attention to the wool and not the fingers! You will poke your fingers a lot in the beginning..don’t give up! It will get easier:)
~Gerry

ha,ha, scary start new project & I’m scardy cat,,ha,ha, I have needle & felt little because I don’t know if I will like it..Tried painting can’t do that tried stamping like that . Glad found this maybe get some help from you ladies,They call me ‘Cookie”

Hi Cookie,
Don’t be afraid to try it! The first thing that I made was a pomeranian! (see post-my first feltie) It didn’t come out so great but it was wonderful to accomplish! I’m sure that you will LOVE it!
~Gerry

Hi Carrie,
Thank you for the tip! I don’t know why people are so afraid to try needle felting! It is only wool so anything can be fixed! Don’t like the head?? Cut it off and make a new one! Leg too long…trim it off and then it is perfect! Wool is VERY forgiving and easily molded! YES try needle felting!
~Gerry

Just found your blog today thanks to CraftGossip. I have never needle felted but havelonged to try it since Carol Duvall had someone on demoing it. So I don’t have a tip other then don’t let your fear hold you back. Wow ,your work is a-maz-ing! Your avatar is my dog. I need to learn how to do this! I would choose the white wool as my dog is white.

Hi Marianne,
I’m so glad that you found my blog! There seems to be so many people poised to needle felt …I say….just DO IT! Thank you for your kind words on my sculpture! Many hours and much love go into each one!
~Gerry

I wish I had a needle felting tip, but I’ve been scared to try it! I have starting amassing a stash of wool…. The only felting I’ve done is by knitting and shrinking, which was seriously great fun, but I’ve been dying to try needle felting! I think I need a mentor…. :-)

I have just started needle felting and am simply blown away at the intricately detailed animals and dolls that can be made! My tip would be to be open to every new way to be creative; I paint gourds, and make clay pot crafts, do some sewing, making and fleece blankets and diaper cakes as well as write poetry. Very limited needle felting supplies where I live, so I would LOVE to win your wool roving sample giveaway! Thank you for the inspiration to learn a new way of allowing my creativity to flow!

I haven’t been felting for long, and have only tried little projects using the plastic forms. I do have the brushes to felt on, but found some dense white, plastic like stryofoam in some big packing crates that I love to felt on. I had only seen this in very small pieces in kits in the store. My first bigger project, well big for me was a mermaid. I was happy how the body came out, but the face left a lot to be desired. Much practice is needed. You can see the mermaid and my felted center silk flower pins on my blog in the archives March 2010.
Thanks for a chance to win your wonderful giveaway. Elaine

Hi Elaine,
Welcome to my blog!
I use packing foam also for felting. Not the hard styrofoam that breaks to bits…this one is in pressed layers that give a little so you can make a little indentation if you need to shape an ear or something.
I have never made a face! I think that if I made a mermaid I would make it waldorf style! lol!
Happy Felting!
~Gerry

I love felting – both wet and needle, but dont like multiple punctures – I’ve found that a gardening glove- leather, cut to just thumb ad 1st finger protects the fingers while detailing fine sculptures

Awesome, thanks for the chance!!
To watch those fingers haha. To do some research also, I just got into needle felting not too long ago and did a book for The SketchBook Project with nothing but needle felted 3D pictures on canvas (science projects gone wrong, it was fun!) Well I sent it out last week and two days later found out about the different sizes for needles haha. I had no clue, so all my main work and detail work was done with one needle and even now I have no idea what kind that is other than sharp :P I tend to just jump head first into things… One more tip that I learned is most of the stuff sold in store is awful to work with!
I used up all my black so that would be awesome!

Hi Amanda,
Welcome to my blog! When I first started needle felting years ago, I was doing well just to find felting needles! I used one size for everything and pretty much do the same thing now. If I have a problem area that I’ve felted a lot, I sometimes switch to another smaller size to be able to felt some more to try to improve it. There is a HUGE difference with the fine needles ( the 40’s) and they are like felting air in the progress that they make. They are great for felting in a layer of fine merino wool on the surface as they leave smaller holes. That is all that I use them for as they take forever.
You are so right about merino wool in those kits! I don’t know why they do that especially for beginners. It is sooooo hard to felt as it is so fine. It takes a looooong time to felt. Romney wool is much better for the core wool. I have that both in my kit and in my core wool listing. See http://www.etsy.com/shop/gfelted?section_id=5310650 for more details!.

Awesome tips everyone :)
I make felt beads by wet felting beads then needle felting designs like flowers on the beads. Don’t make the wet felted bead really hard, as you want easy needling when you decorate the bead.

Needle felted pieces are great to use as a base for embroidering beads onto. I have covered a needled felted doll, a Christmas bell and a starfish in seed beads. Easy to do because the beading needle can travel anywhere you want through the felted piece as you sew on the beads.

I wanted to make a huge head once, so I carved a rough shape out of foam first, and then covered it with a good layer of needle felting, adding eyes, nose, hair etc.

And recently had fun with the easiest wet felting ever. To make a gorgeous long cord, lay out a long length of roving onto a long piece of bubble wrap. Sprinkle with hot soapy water, and gently at first, roll the fleece back and forth with your palms and fingers along its length.No need to wrap it in the bubble wrap, just work on top of it. Continue rolling and mopping up suds, rinse in hot and cold water, and roll again to firm the cord. So beautiful for a necklace or a belt.

Hi! I love your work! My tip is that there is no right nor wrong way to do needle felting (or any art, really!). There is just what works for you, what gets the results you want. Try anything and everything to perfect your techniques.

My newest tip would be to read all these!! There are some great ones there… some that would have never occurred to me! I am going to the Kansas City Fiber Guild’s subgroup Felting to learn about felting and stiffeners this weekend. That’s a topic that would have never occurred to me!

Hi Holly,
Been there!! done that! Ouch!! That happens at night when I get too tired to felt. I hit my fingers as much as the wool..then I know that it’s time to switch to spinning! No needles there!!LOL!
~Gerry

Here’s a tip for storing your felting needles. Use a clean plastic coffee stir stick-the ones that have parallel tubes/channells/tunnells (you know what i mean) the kind coffee stores include with take out coffee. The tubes are the perfect size for storing your needles. Also-dab a colour of nail polish on top of needles-example; give all your 38 needles a dab of red (etc.) If you purchase wool from more than one supplier, get a recipe box and blank index cards. Staple a sample of wool to card and write down the name of the supplier

My tip for the giveaway is to begin your project “loosely” and gently, get the general shape of the form first, example: a round ball for the face, then tighten up the shape as you go. Creating gently felted sculptures will save you LOADS of time if they aren’t hard as a rock at the end! It will save you felting needles, too! Less snapping. And they are just a touch more huggable. Cheers!

Hi Kimberly,
Welcome to my blog! I add layers of wool myself. Since my sculptures are poseable, I need them to be firm enough to hold up to posing. I don’t make them hard as a rock though. Also I like to felt the fur into a firm base so the fur stays in. It is true that it takes a lot less time to make a squishy sculpture. Snapping of needles is usually caused by SIDEWAYS pressure on the needle. Since felting needles are hardened steel, if you press the wool with the side of the needle it will snap. Huggable is great too!
Happy Felting!
~Gerry

I just found your blog three days ago and have spent hours looking at your Esty site and reading your different hints and the how tos. I think this is the best way to learn and get started with needle felting. You have found what works best. Your dogs are amazing.

Hi Cynthia,
Welcome to my blog! Thank you for your kind words on my blog and dogs. Many hours and much love go into each one! I think that everyone can do their own thing when it comes to needle felting. My blog is only a starting place!
Happy Felting!
~Gerry

Thank you for this opportunity Gerry
My tip is the material I have found great for armatures , It is strong and flexible and best of all it costs nothing , I first came up with the Idea at Christmas when My Granddaughter got presents with the toy tied to attach it securely to the box the toy came in . They have made the best Armatures I really like them and it also is good for the environment as they don’t end up in the landfill

Great contest Gerry, lots of great tips. I make 1 to 1 1/5 inch balls color coded to the needle sizes to hold my needles. You just push the needle thru the ball, add just a touch of glue to the top, let it dry and you have a great and comfortable handle to felt with. Keeps your hands from cramping and they can be needle felted or wet felted in the washing machine. If you break a needle, just snip the glue and insert another one.
Linda M

I have used super glue and tacky glue or even fabric glue. You just need a bit if the little felted balls are firm, the needle really stays in them quite well.

By: Linda on January 29, 2011 at 4:57 am

Here’s a tip I just (re)discovered today – to create the look of fur on a hard-felted figure, take a 0.4 mm crochet hook, reach through the outermost layer, and pull up some of the interior wool. The effect is too ratty for long fur, but for someone who just looks *wrong* fully smooth, it’s a miracle!

Fun contest… but if I win, please give my noses to someone else. I’m making my own out of wool, or wool drenched in beeswax….

My tip is place your animal, creation, anything 3d related to a picture drawn to scale. Draw it in black marker, make sure you are as correct with the shape as possible. This helps when filling out the body, legs, head, facial features. You don’t have to draw the details on the drawing jut the correct shape so you can place the felted item onto it to see how you are going.

My husband bought me a needle felting kit for Christmas. I had fun making a hedgehog and want to make more critters. Since I am new to this the first tip I have is to put thimbles on your fingers. Those needles are sharp. ;-) I would love to win any of your wools. I’m bookmarking your site. Love your dogs!

Hi Paige,
Welcome to my blog! What a lovely gift from your hubby! Was the kit for something special? That is a great tip! I wish that I had thought of that when I first started felting. It would save many ouches!
Thank you for your nice comments about my dogs!
Happy Felting!
~Gerry

Here’s an even easier way to keep safe: If you have to hold something so small that a needle might get near your fingers, use tweezers to hang onto it. Thimbles are great for armor – but they make it hard to tell what you’re doing with your fingers….

***I also like to take a straight pin with a ball end and stick it into the feltie to hold it down on the foam. I do that all the time to avoid the dreaded needle ouch!! HANDS FREE!
~Gerry

By: gourmetfelted on February 1, 2011 at 9:20 pm

Hi Gerry,
My tip is to smooth out your piece before going at it with scissors, wrap the long strands sticking out around the point of your needle then needle felt in to the piece. Then needle along the surface of your piece with your needle horizontal to it. Do this in all directions, This not only smooths out your creation, but also firms up the surface. Then you can trim any shorter strands with the scissors
I’m not picky, surprise me.

Cat’s tip reminds me of another way to get a smooth surface – after the twirl-and-stick system gets as much of the fuzz laid as you have patience for, use one of those zippy battery-powered fabric shavers (sold for getting the pills off sweaters) to eliminate anything still sticking up. Works a treat, and the blades are so sharp they don’t pull fibers out of the mass.

If men’s electric razors are anything like the kind I used to use on my legs when I cared about such things, I suspect they might be inclined to pull fibers if not very carefully used. A FABRIC shaver is a different beast – just cradle it in your hand and rub the figure against it, and all that comes off is what’s sticking out.

I use scissors too, of course, especially for places the shaver head won’t reach, but they’re way more trouble.

By: Hilary Powers on February 1, 2011 at 9:51 pm

I use the small personal trimmers to get rid of any halo’s and stray strands. Then finish with tiny embroidery scissors. That’s one reason I love using merino wool as the final coat on a smooth surface, it gives a lovely finish without many stragglers.

Felting tip: The Dollar Tree has a small manicure set which is a plastic covered container that can be easily converted to an on-the-go needle felting kit. It has a handy dandy foam insert in the middle which I place 3 different sized felting needles.It comes with scissors you can keep or replace with your own favorite embroidry scissors. The see through cover is handy too.

Hello! I have been wanting to try needle felting for a couple weeks now, but without a job and going full time in college I just haven’t had the money to buy all the right tools of the trade. But I have been looking at MANY tutorials, photos of others work, and videos to help me get a good understanding for when I begin.

If I were to receive anything, I’d love to try your sampler pack :) Thank you so much for your time!